[Important] Shibushi City, Kagoshima Prefecture, which hosts over 10,000 visitors for training camps annually, completes PR video for "Sports x Learning x Experience Program (Spora-Gaku Experience Program)"!

The "Friendship Exchange Agreement between Shibushi City, Kagoshima Prefecture and Suminoe Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, and the Tripartite Partnership Agreement with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (Ferry Sunflower)" signed in April 2025 has dramatically improved access from the Kansai region. Furthermore, under the cooperative framework between the three parties, the possibility of attracting groups from distant locations based in the Kansai region has expanded, creating a multifaceted learning environment that fosters both athletic improvement and consideration of one's future.

Experience and tour at Mizuno Corporation's Innovation Center "MIZUNO ENGINE". By hearing directly from people involved in sports-related careers, participants can broaden their horizons for future career choices, such as university admissions and employment after graduation. An upcycling workshop was also held, utilizing scraps that would have been discarded in the process of making baseball gloves.

Time to experience the local daily life, specialties, and industries. In Shibushi, the training camp location, participants can learn how food is grown and how it relates to people's lives. By experiencing the rich culture and local industries beyond the sports field, they can foster a sense of attachment to the region and develop their humanity. A visit to an eel farm provided insight into the efforts and passion of eel producers, a specialty of Shibushi, and the characteristics of the region.

Peace learning that encourages "thinking" rather than being "taught" through textbooks and materials. Participants can understand the inner voices and emotions that cannot be learned solely from textbooks and materials, fostering an appreciation for their current daily lives and allowing them to contemplate the preciousness of peace and the happiness of everyday life from their own perspectives. During the Pacific War, Kanoya City had three airfields, and it was the historical site from which the most kamikaze sorties departed in Japan. It was a time to learn that young people of the same age as themselves became beacons of peace.

The reason for traveling to Shibushi from a distant land, and how the encounters and learning that await there transform the athletes internally – this video is truly a work born from human connections. A sports training camp in Shibushi is not just about improving physical strength and skills. It is also about nurturing the heart through meeting people, experiencing the region, thinking, and feeling. I believe that the accumulation of such experiences not only leads to improved athletic performance but also contributes to their future lives. Through this video, I hope that the value of sports training camps in Shibushi City, and the appeal of the "learning" and "encounters" that can only be obtained here, will be conveyed to as many people as possible.

I get excited just imagining how much the time spent at sports training camps in Shibushi City will enrich everyone's lives, leading to "choices for a life lived true to oneself"! As someone born and raised in Shibushi City, I wanted to infuse the wonderful environment of Shibushi and the warmth of its people into the song, and together with my eldest daughter Shinon* (18 years old), we pondered the lyrics. I believe that the experiences and memories made in Shibushi City with friends will guide you towards your dreams beyond the step you take! I will continue to support "everyone shining true to themselves" through music!